


Light the Sky

by GallifreyanFairytale



Series: OQ Prompt Party 2017 [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, OQ Prompt Party, solar eclipse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-12-18 11:04:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11873034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GallifreyanFairytale/pseuds/GallifreyanFairytale
Summary: "and yeah, i think we were born to shine'cause the stars are dull when they're compared to you and i"for day one of OQ Prompt Party week, based on prompt 79





	Light the Sky

**Author's Note:**

> Day one of OQ Prompt Party week happened to coincide with a solar eclipse visible across America, what are the chances? So I took this opportunity to bend one of the prompts to include the solar eclipse. For the sake of storytelling, we're just going to pretend that Storybrooke was in the path of totality and that Robin is alive and happily married to Regina.

_ May 19, 2017, 3:30pm _

 

The kids of Storybrooke High were all excitedly discussing the solar eclipse and their plans for that day. It was still over three months away, but they had just received special glasses and information about the eclipse, and it was Friday, so everyone was full of excitement.

 

The eclipse would take place in August, but it was before school started up again. So during whatever science class they were enrolled in, the students talked about the upcoming eclipse. Henry had been in chemistry, and he was very excited for the eclipse. And, as an added bonus, they didn’t have to do any actual chemistry work that day.

 

Henry followed the rush of kids onto the bus and sat in his usual seat in the back, next to Violet. She was talking with Grace, who was in the seat in front of her, about the eclipse.

 

_ Everyone _ was talking about the eclipse.

 

_ May 19, 2017, 6:15pm _

 

“So what did you two learn in school today?” Robin asked as Henry and Roland dug into their supper.

 

“A solar...icle...ecli…” Roland was struggling to remember the correct word.

 

“Eclipse,” Henry finished for his step-brother. “The solar eclipse that’s going to happen in August. We won’t be back in school when it happens, so they gave us all glasses today.”

 

“Eclipse?” Robin looked at Regina for help.

 

“It’s when the moon lines up perfectly between the earth and the sun, and it blocks some or all of our view of the sun,” Regina explained. “If you look directly at it, you will probably suffer permanent eye damage or blindness, which I’m assuming is why they gave you two glasses?” Regina looked at Henry, who nodded.

 

“If you put the glasses on, you can look at the eclipse without suffering any eye-related injuries.”

 

“These glasses…” Robin hesitated, “Are they safe?”

 

Henry shrugged, “I’m pretty sure they’re NASA-issued, so they should be.”

 

Robin didn’t know what NASA was, but he pretended that made him feel better.

 

“You can get glasses too, Papa!” Roland informed him. “My teacher said that you can get them at the school in August.”

 

_ May 19, 2017, 9:45pm _

 

“So do ecle… whatever, do they happen here very often?” Robin asked Regina.

 

“Eclipses,” Regina said, “and no. The last one that crossed the entire United States was almost a century ago, and I’m sure the next one that crosses the entire country won’t be for a very long time. That’s why NASA makes glasses instead of having everyone sit inside like it’s the apocalypse - it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for many people.”

 

“And these NASA people… do they know what they’re doing?”

 

“Well, they’ve landed people on the moon, so I would hope so.”

 

Robin’s eyes widened, “You’re telling me there have been people  _ on the moon _ in this realm?”

 

Regina nodded, “Of course, it was back while we were still in the Enchanted Forest, and there are people who think it’s just a big conspiracy, but it happened.”

 

“And when’s the elipse supposed to happen?”

 

“ _ Eclipse _ . And according to the papers Henry gave me, the twenty-first of August.”

 

“That’s only about a week before the baby is due,” Robin noted, his gaze drifting down to Regina’s swollen stomach.

 

“Yep,” Regina confirmed with a smile.

 

_ June 7, 2017, 3:55pm _

 

Henry dropped his backpack down as soon as he was through the doorway. “I’m Free! Free at last! Summer is finally here!”

 

“I hope you plan on picking that backpack up,” Regina called from the kitchen. “You know I can’t pick your junk off the ground anymore.”

 

Henry sighed. “Yes, Mom.” Henry swung his backpack over his shoulder and climbed up the stairs to his bedroom so he wouldn’t get in trouble for leaving his backpack on the floor.

 

Once his backpack was safe in his room, he plopped down on the couch next to Robin. “What are we watching?”

 

Robin shrugged, “Whatever Regina had on before she got up to make dinner.” Robin handed Henry the remote, “Would you like to watch something else?”

 

Henry flipped through the channels until he got to the local news station, which happened to be doing a segment on the eclipse.

 

_ July 11, 2017, 1:20pm _

 

“Did you know some people think the eclipse is going to bring the end of the world?” Henry asked Belle as he watched her shelve books. “Or they think it’ll bring the apocalypse or something. But people get like this every time there’s something out of the ordinary going on in outer space. Every time the moon looks a slightly different color or looks bigger than normal or whatever.”

 

“I think they’re all crazy,” Belle replied. “There have been eclipses before and nothing has happened. This isn’t going to be any different. Could you hand me that book?”

 

Henry turned his phone off, set it down, and picked up the book Belle hand pointed to. As he handed it to her, he read the title:  _ Light in the Sky  _ by Agatha Young.

 

_ July 30, 2017, 10:30am _

 

Henry and Emma watched as the numbers on the screen ticked down, counting down the seconds until the moment of the solar eclipse. Every sixty seconds, the minutes went down, and every sixty minutes, the hours went down (though Henry and Emma hadn’t been watching it  _ that  _ long).

 

“I really don’t understand what’s so fascinating about that screen. It’s just numbers,” Hook muttered as he walked past.

 

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand,” Emma responded without looking away from the screen. “At least, not until the numbers get to zero.”

 

“That’s well over twenty days away, Swan!”

 

“Guess you’ll have to wait.” Emma shrugged. She was much more interested in the countdown than she was in Hook at the moment. Henry laughed silently to himself. He had never been a huge fan of Hook, but he made his mother happy, so Henry put up with him.

 

_ August 4, 2017, 2:50pm _

 

“Your baby looks healthy,” the doctor announced happily. “She’s doing very well. There is, of course, time for something to go wrong still, but at this point, it is  _ highly  _ unlikely. I’m going to go speak with the nurse for a moment, and then we can finish up.”

 

Once the doctor was out of the room, Robin leaned down and pressed a light kiss to Regina’s lips. “I can’t believe there’s less than a month until we get to meet our little girl.”

 

Regina grinned up at her husband. “I know, I can’t wait! I also can’t wait until I can actually find a comfortable sleeping position again.” Regina rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling.

 

_ August 20, 2017, 9:10pm _

 

Henry was spending the night at Emma’s so that he, Violet, and Grace could watch the eclipse from the Jolly Roger.

 

Roland was asleep already, and Belle was stopping by to pick him up in the morning. She had offered to watch Roland during the eclipse, mostly because she wanted someone who was as excited as she was to watch it with.

 

Regina and Robin were watching a movie together. Regina had a feeling in her gut that  _ something _ was going to happen the next day, but seeing as it was Eclipse Day, she tried to brush it off.

 

_ August 21, 2017, 6:35am _

 

The sun had just begun to rise and Henry awoke with the sun. He was much too excited to get a good night’s sleep, so he didn’t bother even trying to fall back asleep. He was wide awake already anyways, so he grabbed his phone and bounced down the stairs.

 

“Morning,” he said to Hook as he passed by on his way to the kitchen.

 

Hook blinked his eyes a few times, as if trying to process what he was seeing. “Henry Mills? Awake before nine during summer vacation? Now that’s not something I thought I’d see.”

 

Henry shrugged, “It’s Eclipse Day!” He continued to the kitchen and opened the fridge, looking for something to eat.

 

_ August 21, 2017, 8:15am _

 

“Are you sure you have everything?” Regina asked for the sixth or seventh time.

 

Roland nodded, his answer staying the same, “Yep! Bye, Papa. Bye, Mama.” Roland waved to his parents as he walked out the door.

 

“If he needs anything, I’ll call,” Belle promised. “Thank you for letting me watch him.”

 

_ August 21, 2017, 8:30am _

 

Violet and Grace climbed into the back of Emma’s car. Emma turned back to look at them, “You two ready to see a solar eclipse?”

 

“Yes!” the girls chorused, matching grins on their faces.

 

“Then let’s get to the Jolly Roger! Killian  _ should  _ have it relatively clean by now. ...I hope.”

 

_ August 21, 2017, 8:35am _

 

“Here we are!” Belle announced as she pulled into the library parking lot. “I have donuts waiting inside if Rumple didn’t eat them all, so I hope you’re hungry.”

 

Roland smiled as soon as he heard the word  _ ‘donuts’ _ . He jumped out of the car and followed Belle into the library where donuts awaited them.

 

_ August 21, 2017, 8:40am _

 

Regina froze and dropped the book that was in her hand. It landed on the floor with a  _ thud _ . Robin looked up from what he was doing. “Regina?” When she didn’t answer, Robin began growing concerned. “Regina!”

 

“It’s the baby,” Regina finally managed. “She’s coming. We-- we need to get to the hospital.  _ Now _ .”

 

_ August 21, 2017, 8:47am _

 

Robin helped ease Regina into a wheelchair because she refused to let the doctors touch her. After she was seated, she was rushed down the hall. Between her groans, she ordered Robin to call Emma, but make sure the blonde didn’t bring Henry if she decided to come to the hospital. Henry was  _ not _ allowed to miss the eclipse, Regina made that  _ very _ clear.

 

_ August 21, 2017, 8:48am _

 

“Hello?” Emma answered her phone. After a few minutes, her smile turned to a frown, “Does she need--? ...Okay, well I might, but-- ...Yeah, exactly. Um, is it okay if I just don’t tell him? Since he’s not allowed…? ...Okay. ...Yeah, see you later.” Emma hung up and made her way back to where Henry, Violet, Grace, and Killian were.

 

“Who was it?” Henry asked.

 

“Robin,” Emma answered. “He, uh, was making sure we had everything we needed.”

 

_ August 21, 2017, 12:57pm _

 

“It’s 12:57!” Henry announced. “It should be starting!” He put his glasses on, looked up at the sun, and frowned. “I… I don’t think I see anything…”

 

Violet shook her head, “Me neither. Maybe we need to wait a few more minutes.”

 

“Probably,” Grace nodded in agreement. She looked down before taking her glasses off. “Considering there’s less than an hour and a half until it’s supposed to reach totality, I would say we should be able to see something fairly soon.”

 

It was less than two minutes before Henry looked up again and exclaimed, “I can see it! I can see it starting! There’s just a little bit covered, but I can see it!”

 

_ August 21, 2017, 1:00pm _

 

“Can you see it?” Belle asked.

 

Roland nodded excitedly. “Yeah! It looks like there’s a little bite out of it!” He giggled at that.

 

Belle smiled, “You’re right. It does.”

 

_ August 21, 2017, 1:30pm _

 

It was getting a bit darker and cooler, but it was still plenty light out and there was still plenty of sun showing from behind the moon.

 

“Less than an hour until totality,” Grace noted as she looked at the time on her phone. “Hey, do you guys want to take a selfie so I can use one of the eclipse filters on Snapchat?”

 

“Sure!” Violet and Henry immediately agreed to Grace’s idea. Emma figured she wouldn’t be getting out of it, so she agreed as well.

 

“Wait, what’s a selfie?” Killian asked as he followed Emma towards the three teenagers.

 

“Just stand here and put your glasses on,” Emma ordered. Killian did as he was told, but because he had his glasses on, he couldn’t see what was going on as everyone crowded around where he stood so Grace could take her solar eclipse selfie.

 

“Everyone say  _ ‘solar eclipse’ _ !”

 

_ August 21, 2017, 1:45pm _

 

“You’re doing great, Regina. Not much longer now before you’ll be able to meet your daughter.”

 

Regina didn’t really hear what the doctor was saying, she was moreso focused on the fact that she was in a whole lot of pain considering they had apparently given her medicine to reduce the pain.

 

_ August 21, 2017, 2:00pm _

 

“Twenty-one minutes until totality!” Grace called out.

 

“Only twenty-one minutes?!” Emma peaked around the corner. “I’ll be back out in a minute in that case.” She looked back towards where she had been, “Killian, sorry, but I can’t help clean anymore. It’s almost time for totality.”

 

“She said there’s still twenty-one minutes,” he called back.

 

“Thanks for understanding!” Emma rushed over to where Henry was and picked up her glasses. “This is gonna be great! A once in a lifetime opportunity,  _ and  _ an excuse for me to stop helping Killian clean his ship.”

 

_ August 21, 2017, 2:21pm _

 

“Okay, it’s safe to take off your glasses now,” Belle said. She removed her glasses, and Roland and Gold followed her lead. “Look at that. A total solar eclipse. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?”

 

_ August 21, 2017, 2:21pm _

 

Henry’s eyes were wide, as were everyone else’s. The sun was completely covered by the moon, leaving only whipsy light coming out from the edges of the silhouette. And the best part was, they could look at it without their glasses on.

 

_ August 21, 2017, 2:21pm _

 

It was dark outside when the doctor held up Regina’s baby and announced, “It’s a girl!”

 

“You did it, my love,” Robin leaned over and pressed a kiss on Regina’s forehead. “I’m so proud of you.”

 

“I made you miss the eclipse,” Regina said.

 

“I don’t mind. This was far more important, and besides, I don’t think we missed it entirely. It’s only just totaled now.”

 

“Wait… like right now? Like our daughter was born just now and the total eclipse is…  _ right now _ ?”

 

Robin nodded and smiled. “Looks like our daughter is an eclipse baby. And maybe we can get you into a wheelchair so you can go see the eclipse as it goes away if we get a little help from some magic,” Robin suggested.

 

“That sounds nice. Do we have glasses?”

 

“Well considering Gold is the only one whose magic could transport you into a wheelchair, I’m sure he and Belle can bring some.”

 

_ August 21, 2017, 3:25pm _

 

Robin wheeled Regina outside of the hospital, their newborn daughter in her arms. Regina was holding their daughter so the baby was facing Regina and couldn’t look up at the sun.

 

Gold had magicked himself to the hospital while Belle drove Roland, but now Belle’s car was pulling up. Roland was the first one out once the car stopped. “Mama! Papa!” He rushed up to them and held out two pairs of glasses. “For you!”

 

Robin and Regina thanked him and took the glasses. Belle came up behind Roland and handed him his pair of glasses. 

 

“Look, look!” Roland put his glasses on and turned to face the sun. “It looks like someone took a bite out of the sun!”

 

Robin put his glasses on and looked up. “Look at that, it does! I’m kind of understanding why people risk their eyesight for this now.” 

 

_ August 21, 2017, 3:30pm _

 

Emma’s bug pulled up and everyone who had been watching from the Jolly Roger climbed out. How they had all fit in the car was nothing short of a miracle, but they had just witnessed a total eclipse, so it didn’t seem like as big of a deal.

 

“Mom!” Henry rushed over to his mother.

 

“Henry!” Regina gave Henry a sort of half hug - the best she could do from her wheelchair.

 

“She’s so cute!” Henry exclaimed as he looked down at his new sister. “And she was born during totality?”

 

Regina shrugged. “Apparently. I know it was dark out, so that makes sense.”

 

“Wow,” Henry whispered. “How cool. Born during a total eclipse.”

 

“Speaking of the eclipse, it’s not quite over yet,” Grace pointed out. “We could take another eclipse selfie with everyone?”

 

It took a few minutes to get everyone situated, and to explain what a selfie was to Robin and Roland (and Hook, since he couldn’t see what was going on during his first selfie). Once everyone was in place, Grace kneeled in front and positioned her phone before putting her glasses on.

 

“Everyone say…  _ ‘light the sky’ _ !”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
